Moldovans demand justice for vanishing $1 billion, lack of government action

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) ^ | May 4, 2015, 12:11 a.m. | Tatiana Darie

[WhiskeyX]

CHISINAU, Moldova - Tens of thousands of Moldovans took to the streets on May 3 in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau to demand justice for a banking scandal that saw $1 billion vanish from three of the country’s biggest banks. They are calling for some political leaders in the ruling pro-European coalition to step down for their lack of action over the scandal and poor governance.

The participants dispersed peacefully in the central square at midday, chanting slogans such as "Moldova is ours," "We are Moldova," and "The thieves must go to jail."

Moldovans are looking for answers after $1 billion disappeared from three local banks. Banca de Economii, Banca Social and Unibank, issued a total of $1 billion in loans to unidentified recipients, a staggering amount of money that equals about 15 percent of the 2013 gross domestic product of $7.9 billion in a nation of less than four million people.

Prosecutors and American auditors investigated the questionable transactions that took place in November, just a few days before the country’s parliamentary elections, which saw pro-European parties scoring a narrow lead over the pro-Moscow Socialist Party.

The American investigations firm Kroll issued a report early March, but Moldova’s central bank authorities claim the firm does not allow to make the report public. However, details of the report leaked to the press found that Banca de Economii (Savings Bank) issued $600 million in loans to companies backed by Russian banks.

[WhiskeyX]

It appears as though pro-Russians in the Moldovan government and Moldovan banks may have used fraudulent Russian loans to loot one billion dollars out of the Moldovan banks when the pro-Russian government was voted out of office and replaced by a government friendly to the EU.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Another Iceland in the making?

[Huntress]

I guess the Clinton Foundation will have to amend its tax returns again.

[Forty-Niner]

$1 Billion????????????

They’re pikers, they need to get Hillary over there.... Just look what she was able to do in the State Department in a coupla of years with no subsequent Congressional investigation....Pure amatures!

[Fungi]

Iceland? how about Greece, Cypress, or the US? Just a matter of time. Find any morels yet? False morels have monomethyl hydrazine and should be parboiled before cooking, but even then, I do not recommend them. Even parboiled, stay away as the fumes can be toxic. Mr. Hydrazine, the best to you. If I ever wanted another last name, that would probably be one of them. Gyromytra species are really very pretty. They are also called "brain mushrooms" for obvious reasons.

[House Atreides]

The need to have Michelle Obama hold up a #givebackourbillion placard...that will fix it!

[AZLiberty]

Maybe this is why governments like electronic money so much. Stealing a billion dollars in gold would be hard work. Stealing a billion dollars by EFT — a piece of cake.

[GeronL]

a billion bucks in that small a country, hard not to notice

[GeronL]

Looks like Russians undermining another country, probably plans to “turn” them to the dark side.

[Paid_Russian_Troll]

Which is light side?

[Cronos]

I don’t think so. What would most likely happen is that this will drive the Moldovans to reunite with Romania. Incidently they were part of Romania until 1945 when the USSR grabbed Moldova. They have already “lost” the Russian speakers who are in the de-facto independent state of Transdniester

[familyop]

"Which is light side?"

Increasingly, we Americans do wonder about that.

FBI Hands Over 5000 Pages Of Stingray Info To MuckRock, Redacts Nearly All Of It
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3285936/posts

We are not accustomed to using vague subtleties to discuss good and legal private affairs with our own family members out of fear that personal information will be relayed to corrupt neighbors in our own communities. Our political, social and business environment has become more Soviet in nature.

But we are Americans, and policies have consequences. Police work that violates the essence of our nation is not the way to win a war that should be fought with military forces elsewhere.

But erroneous policies will be abandoned, and the time of war will come.

[Paid_Russian_Troll]

‘What would most likely happen is that this will drive the Moldovans to reunite with Romania.’

Is it good or bad?

[Paid_Russian_Troll]

I hope you would settle things up short of war.

[familyop]

"Another Iceland in the making?"

That wouldn't be a bad act for any good people to follow, even if more tactical defilades have been constructed since then. But how many good people do we see?

[Nailbiter]

Where was Hillary?

[familyop]

I would rather that we did, but it appears from complaints about our anti-ballistic missile defense systems and threats against our existence from Iran, that war will be brought to us again. There was a time, when I could run fast through the woods with a full load in the middle of the night, but now I’m getting old.

[Paid_Russian_Troll]

Do you really believe Iran is a viable threat to the United States?

[familyop]

One of the worst tactical errors that a soldier can make is that of underestimating his enemy. Another serious error would be that of allowing his enemy time to prepare more to attack.

[Paid_Russian_Troll]

Yet, Iran is a rather small nation, too much far away from America and it lacks any capability to project power. I don’t say mullahs unable to cause troubles at all, but please. It must be near the very end of your threat list.